Just more than an hour after Shabbos ended, #15 Cooper Macs and #20 Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh Heat faced off in a Tier IV Semifinal at the Max Stern Athletic Center. Cooper would hold a lead throughout the entire game, and went on to win, 64-43.
Cooper came out red hot, leaping to a 6-0 lead just 1:30 into the game. The Macs applied pressure to the Heat, forcing Hillel into numerous early turnovers. Cooper looked to pull away early, as they held a 13-2 advantage midway through the first.
But after a Hillel timeout, the Heat came out firing on all cylinders. A 12-4 run cut the Cooper lead to 3, and Pittsburgh looked in total control. However, Cooper was able to get their act together. The Macs closed out the half on a 17-5 run and held a 34-19 advantage at the break.
Cooper dashed any hopes of a Hillel victory by taking control in the third quarter. On multiple occasions, the Macs trapped the Heat, forcing mistakes which led to easy baskets. The score was 52-30 at the end of 3. Hillel would outscore the Macs in the 4th period, but their efforts came up short.
Leading the charge for Cooper were seniors Ethan Morris, Simcha Osdoba, and Nossy Orgel. Hillel was led by junior Aaron Kraut.
With the win, Cooper will play HA Montreal (who defeated SCY in the other Tier IV Semifinal matchup) in the Tier IV Championship, which will be the first game held in the MAX on Monday morning. Hillel will play SCY in the Tier IV 3rd Place Game on Sunday night at 9:00 PM.